City Rail Link Opening

The story so far

Auckland Transport replaced trains with buses in January 2025 so KiwiRail could upgrade more than 110 sites for the City Rail Link, causing delays and crowding on replacement buses.^{13 Jan 2025} In February 2025 trains returned to a newly electrified Pukekohe Station, which had been closed since August 2022.^{2 Feb 2025} In August 2025 Auckland Transport released new maps for the project, and the Prime Minister, ministers and the mayor joined a test run on the underground railway.^{4, 8 Aug 2025} In November 2025 the $5.5 billion project's opening was pushed to the second half of 2026 as it entered final testing and commissioning, and most train services were then suspended from 27 December to 28 January 2026 for further work.^{28 Nov 2025; 9 Dec 2025} By late July 2026 officials had not confirmed an opening date, though a September Sunday was expected, and a billboard then revealed it as 13 September 2026.^{28 Jul; 6 Aug}

Latest

Daily train trips rose by nearly 60 per cent in the first two weeks, and more than two million trips were made in the first month, two-thirds of them using the new stations and tunnels.^{30 Sep; 14 Oct}

What's next

Auckland may need up to $3.5 billion to remove level crossings to get the most from the City Rail Link, with road upgrades in central western suburbs possibly needed by the 2030s.^{1 Sep}

Key moments

1. 13 Jan 2025Trains replaced by buses while KiwiRail upgrades more than 110 sites
2. 2 Feb 2025Passenger trains return to electrified Pukekohe Station after closure since August 2022
3. 8 Aug 2025Prime Minister and mayor join test run on the underground railway
4. 28 Nov 2025Opening delayed to the second half of 2026
5. 9 Dec 2025Month-long shutdown of most Auckland train services announced from 27 December
6. 6 AugOpening date revealed as Sunday 13 September 2026
7. 14 OctMore than two million trips taken in the first month

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.